Tip #1: Control Your Liquid Calories

When we think about cutting the fat on our bellies, the first thing that comes to our mind is cutting down on solid food. But one thing that most guys don’t take into account is the amount of LIQUID calories they consume. These liquid calories are typically totally empty of nutrition, and they can really add up fast. If you’ve been trying to lose weight but haven’t been successful, liquid calories could be the reason why.

Think about it: a soda of the size typically served at restaurants has about 480 calories, all pure sugar.

And the average twelve ounce bottle of beer has about 160 calories. How easy is it to drink 5 or 6 beers without even thinking about it? That’s a huge amount of empty calories which go straight to your gut.

Before you even start worrying about changing what you’re eating, start paying attention to what you’re DRINKING. This means:

- Drinking tea, juice, water, or even diet soda in place of regular soda

- Replacing beer or sugary alcoholic drinks with healthier alternatives, such as a vodka tonic

- Avoiding excess consumption of sugary juices, even though they’re marketed as “healthy”

Tip #2: Boost Your Metabolism BEFORE Trying To Lose Weight

Another thing that will make weight loss MUCH easier for you is boosting your metabolism BEFORE you try and lose weight. If your metabolism is low, weight loss is going to be incredibly difficult. You’ll have to eat incredibly tiny portions of food every day, and even if you’re exercising all the time you will still have difficulty losing weight.

Your metabolism is the most important factor in your weight loss, bar none. An extremely hard cardio workout might burn 300 calories at the most but your metabolism will burn between 1500-3000 calories, EVERY SINGLE DAY, WHETHER YOU WORK OUT ON THAT DAY OR NOT.

It’s BY FAR the most important factor – you will easily burn 20x more calories through your metabolism than through exercise directly.

So you’re probably wondering, HOW do I boost my metabolism?

The best way to boost your metabolism is to gain lean body mass (muscle). This muscle will require energy every day to maintain itself, whether you work out on that day or not. This is what will jack your metabolism up, and make fat loss possible.

Back when I used to weight about 160 flabby pounds, I would eat about 1500 calories a day. It sucked – I felt like I was always starving, and I STILL didn’t lose any fat.

Now that I weigh 205 lbs. and I have much more muscle mass, I purposely eat over 3000 calories per day, EVERY DAY. I never gain any weight, because of my increased metabolism.

So if you want to lose weight, first focus on increasing your metabolism through building muscle.

Tip #3: Follow A Nutrition PLAN

Another huge mistake a lot of guys make is that they have no unified plan for their eating. They just try and follow whatever random tips they read off the internet whenever they remember them, and just hope things work out. The reality is, things never work out when you do them this way. If you don’t have a plan, then you’ll end up eating the wrong foods and you will just gain more fat on your stomach.

Because if you don’t have a definite plan — if you don’t know what you’re doing to eat that day in ADVANCE of when you actually eat it — you’ll have to make all your eating choices in the moment. And the only thing to keep you away from unhealthy food choices is going to be sheer willpower.

And let’s face it: NOBODY has very much willpower, and diets that rely on willpower inevitably fail. This is why 95% of people who “go on a diet” lose no weight, and actually GAIN weight beyond what they weighed originally.

But this isn’t to say things are hopeless — there are people who DO have the abs which come from great nutrition. The secret is, these people don’t have any more willpower than you. They just have a structured PLAN that determines what they eat, taking willpower out of the equation.

It is hard to avoid the triggers for our bad food cravings – we all experience stress and boredom and mood swings. But remaining a slave to these bad food cravings is not inevitable. We have found a way to minimize or eliminate the bad food cravings all together. Best of all, we have given up nothing and do not feel as if we are depriving ourselves of anything.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Start The Day Off Right

We’ve all heard the old stories about eating a good breakfast – but what does that really mean? The answer is different for each of us. Some people operate better when they eat some heavy carbs or protein in the morning and others, like Dan and I operate better when we start the morning off with juice and then gradually work our way up to the heavier foods as the day progresses. The important things is that what ever you put in your body in the morning, it should be healthy fuel for your body. A simple rule of thumb is to stick to food that is as close to nature as possible and pay attention to how you feel 20-30 minutes after you eat. If you feel sluggish and tired, that means that you either ate too much or it was the wrong type of food for your body.

You Do Not Have To Give Anything Up

One of the best ways we have found to start the day off right and eliminate bad food cravings later on?  We have a green juice or green smoothie for breakfast every single morning. That’s right. We invested in a juicing machine over a year ago and have been juicing ever since. We gave up nothing, but added healthful green foods through juicing. We did this every single morning and over the period of a few months, we just did not want to eat bad food any more. The best part: we didn’t intentionally plan on giving up our favorite bad food! Somehow, the effect of green juicing has reduced the craving for bad food. We just don’t seem to crave the ice cream and nachos anymore.  

Why Green Foods Reduce the Craving for Bad Foods

How can drinking a green juice or a green smoothie in the morning reduce the craving for bad food? We all know that green foods like spinach and kale are nutritionally dense. Juicing provides a huge amount of nutrients in one small delicious glass. It could be that the nutrients in green foods make us feel nutritionally satisfied. As a result, our bodies no longer constantly crave bad food for purposes of refueling. Starting off the day with a green juice or a green smoothie certainly seems to provide a steady source of energy over a longer period of time. We no longer experience the huge spikes in blood sugar levels followed by the devastating crash. As a result of drinking green foods, we have more energy to exercise and engage in the other projects we love. Drinking green foods helped us break the vicious cycle of desperate craving for bad food naturally and with very little effort.  Over time, the practice of juicing simply became a lifestyle habit that has made a huge positive difference in our lives.

You can click on “Resources” on our website for delicious recipes for green juice and green smoothies.

Try having a green juice or green smoothie every morning for 30 days and see how you feel! Let us know your experience with green foods.

Probably the most important consideration to remember when buying a juicer is that you are going to use your juicer every day or almost every day. Why? Because the enzyme activity in freshly extracted juice decreases very, very quickly. Ideally, it is best to drink your juice within 15 minutes of juicing. That way, you obtain the maximum vitamin, mineral and anti-oxidant properties that juicing can provide. Keeping in mind that you will want to use your juicer every day, here is a brief overview of what you want to look for when buying a juicer.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Considerations When Buying A Juicer

The main consideration in buying a juicer is SIMPLE. Get something simple and convenient that you will actually use. The best juicer in the world will do you no good if it sits in the corner gathering dust. You do not want a juicer that is too complicated, cumbersome, or requires time-consuming clean-up. You are looking for ease of assembly, minimal chopping of fruits and vegetables, and easy clean-up. Make sure you buy a juicer that fits into your lifestyle – and fits into your kitchen.  A gargantuan juicer with dozens of parts that need to be scrubbed and oiled daily does not promote ease of use. Pick a juicer that can be disassembled easily and is dishwasher-safe. You will also want a juicer with a large enough mouth to accomodate fruits and vegetables.

Another consideration in choosing a juicer is noise level. Basically, the more powerful the motor, the more noisy a juicer will be.  Unless your goal is to wake up the entire household with your 6 a.m. juicing, choosing a less powerful juicer will probably more than adequately meet your juicing needs and your housemates will thank you for not turning their living space into what sounds like a demolition site.

Of course, price is an important consideration in buying a juicer. Prices of juicers vary widely – from under $100 to over $500 and higher – depending on the available features. To start out, choose a juicer that is affordable for you. And make sure you read the warranty! Warranties can range from a few months to a decade to a lifetime. You are looking for a long-lasting warranty that covers the entire machine.

Below are a few examples of some popluar juicers and their features to help give you an idea of what is on the market today:

Breville Juicer Juice Fountain

The Breville Juice Fountain Professional is the juicer we have used for about a year.  It is simple – easy to use and easy to clean. The juicer is designed to conserve counterspace. It has a large mouth that accomodates larger fruits and vegetables. We paid about $150 for our Breville Juicer Juice Fountain, but you can find one on the internet for $109 plus free shipping.  It has a powerful motor and comes with a one-year warranty.

Jack LaLanne Power Juicer Express

Jack LaLanne is perhaps the world’s most famous body builder. He is is over 95 years old and credits exercise and juicing as the key to his long life.  Jack LaLanne has been selling his juicers for years on television and on the internet. We found a “Buy One Get One Free” offer on his website: buy one Jack LaLanne Power Juicer Express for $89.97 and get the second free with additional shipping and handling. This juicer looks very compact and the motor is less powerful than the Breville juicer. The parts are dishwasher safe for easy cleanup. It comes with a 60-day money back guaranty. According to the website, the “whisper quiet” motor comes with a lifetime warranty.

Omega Vert

The Omega Vert has the highest price tag of the three juicers we looked at. At $349, the Omega Vert has an electric induction motor and fewer moving parts than most juicers. In theory, this means the motor is less likely to burn out than other juicers. The Omega Vert has been built the same way for the past several decades, seemingly attesting to its quality design. The Omega Vert has a self-cleaning feature using water that keeps the juicer from becoming clogged. It comes with a 10-year warranty on the blade parts.

A good way to check out a variety of juicers is to view instructional videos on the internet. This way you can compare different juicers side by side.

Again, the one we use is the Breville Juice Fountain Professional. It works fine and cleanup is easy, so we recommend it.

We all know we should eat more fruits and vegetables. But most people have neither the time nor the desire to eat plates and plates of fruits and vegetables everyday! 

Juicing is a simple way to get all the benefits from a variety of fruits and vegetables in one small, delicious glass.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What Is Juicing?

Juicing is extracting the good stuff – the vitamins, minerals, nutrients and water – from plants using a juicing machine.  

The benefits of juicing are almost too numerous to list. Below are just some great reasons to juice:

• Juicing at home is relatively cost-effective. Instead of paying over $4 for a small bottle of juice at a health food store, once you have purchased your juicer, you can juice your own healthful blends for just pennies a serving. 
• Juicing is an excellent way to get the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. The USDA currently recommends five cups of fruits and vegetables daily for a 2200 calorie diet (the average man’s diet), and four cups daily for a 1800 calorie diet (the average woman’s diet.) 
• Juicing enables you to obtain the vitamins, minerals and nutrients required for optimal health, vitality and functioning.  Fruits and vegetables have long been known to prevent and cure certain diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, allergies and certain mood disorders. 
• Eating freshly juiced raw fruits and vegetables allows you to digest and absorb a greater amount of beneficial nutrients. The juicing process breaks down cell walls for faster digestion, and  nutrients are not destroyed by heat or other processing. 
• Anti-oxidants contained in fruits and vegetables have an anti-aging effect for younger looking skin, hair and nails. 
• Eating a greater proportion of fruits and vegetables every day helps you lose those love handles and maintain a healthy weight.  
• Juicing is a fun and creative way to do something good for yourself and your family. You can go even greener by planting a garden and picking your favorite fresh and organic fruits and vegetables everyday!

Open Your Own Juice Bar Today

Literally hundreds of different fruit and vegetable juices are possible. In practice, the number and type of juice combinations are only limited by your own preferences. The one rule of thumb: only blend fruits with fruits and vegetables with vegetables. The exception to the rule is that you can blend apples with vegetables. Apples are sweet and taste great with vegetables. (Pushing an apple through the juicer also helps to push through a softer fruit or vegetable that may not have completely cleared the machine.)  You do want to thoroughly wash your hands and all fruits and vegetables prior to juicing. Remove any stems, pits and seeds. Orange rinds are nasty tasting, so remove those, too. Cut larger fruits and vegetables into chunks that your juicer can easily accomodate.   

A delicious tasting, simple base recipe is to juice one medium apple with two medium carrots. You can experiment with just about any fruit or vegetable you like. Green vegetables like kale and spinach can be bitter, so add those sparingly at first until you have acquired the taste. Parsley, garlic and ginger are more exotic flavors you can add when you’re feeling a little more daring. Keep watching our videos for some of our favorite juicing recipes. 

Try this experiment:  try juicing by drinking one glass of fresh juice a day for 30 days, and see how much better you feel! 

Important Note: you should consult with your doctor before embarking on your juicing journey.

There it is. That's the solution to the big mystery. Sure, there are plenty of circumstances that get in the way of people getting into shape, but that doesn't change the fact that there are no hurdles that can't be leaped if the motivation level is high enough. Think of what happens when someone has a heart attack or a stroke, and you'll see this concept in full effect. THEN they are suddenly very motivated.

I don't believe in waiting until I almost die to take action and start living a better life. However, that's just me, and I realize that some other people need more motivation than that. That being said, I have gone back to my personal training roots and put together a program that uses two of the most powerful motivators ever – money and recognition.

The Million Dollar Body Challenge is a 90-day group coaching initiative where you, dear reader, get to take part in a health coaching program that not only includes plenty of incredible information from a qualified teacher, but that also gives you the chance for as much cash and recognition as you can handle!

There are a ton of great benefits to the program, which kicks off on May 1st, 2008, but here are some of the highlights:

• Cash and prizes worth up to $1,000 awarded every day just for working out
• Up to $10,000 awarded once a month to people who make the most progress
• A $250,000 cash prize given annually to a male and a female who truly excel
• Countless online resources and almost limitless content from fitness trainers and experts
• Free teleconferences every single week
• Email access to me as your coach for the entire 90-day period
• Free copies of Today is that Day fitness products
• Free lifetime Premium memberships at Personal Development Partners where challengers will be able to discuss their progress

And that's just a quick overview. If you want the real scoop – and if you are truly ready to make some positive changes in your health – then click below to get started! This program will fill up quickly, and I will have to close it to new members at that point.

Sign up now to get access to all of the materials and the support that you need, and start getting yourself on track. Once May 1st hits, we are going to take off like a rocket, and you won't believe the physical change that the group participants will undergo!

What is going to be different this year than all of the other years?

Most people who try to lose weight at the start of a new year have tried to do it many times in the past, and I submit to you that an effective weight loss program for the new year needs to start with losing the mental baggage first!

The specific details of how to lose weight have been known for decades, yet people still seem to think that the answer to long-term weight loss lies in a new diet, a special exercise program, or in some magical cream, pill, or quality time with a cosmetic surgeon.

The bottom line, however, is that excess bodyfat is not a condition in and of itself, but rather the result of faulty mental programming, and the faulty habits that come about as a result of that programming.

Yes, there are physical and genetic characteristics that affect someone’s physical appearance, but there are very few physical or genetic conditions that can actually keep someone from a high level of physical fitness if they truly want to be healthy.

The reason why most people can’t lose weight or keep the weight off over the long-term is because they either don’t truly believe that it is possible for them, they don’t truly believe that they are worthy of that level of physical grace, or, they are just plain too lazy to do what it takes.

Each of those circumstances can be rectified on the inside, however. The diet or exercise programs that assist with the actual weight loss will then just become conditions of that proper mental programming.

If you truly want to lose weight as part of your New Year’s resolutions this year, put down the diet books, don’t even buy the latest copy of your favorite fitness magazine, and certainly don’t go to your doctor asking for a prescription weight loss drug. Instead ask yourself these types of questions:

• Do I truly believe that it is possible for ME to lose the weight? Don’t ask yourself if people in general can lose weight, ask yourself if you truly believe that YOU can lose the weight.
• Do I truly believe that I can be as pretty/sexy/slim/hot/attractive as I want to be? Again, you need to be brutally honest with yourself. Lying to yourself about what you truly believe is possible will just set you up to be having this same conversation at this same time next year.
• Do I truly believe that I am worthy of the type of attention or lifestyle that will come about as a result of me losing the weight? Think about the average celebrity. Yes, they have the looks, the fame, and the fortune, but they also can’t even walk into a 7-11 to buy a cup of coffee without it being a media frenzy. Are you prepared to live the actual lifestyle of someone who is healthy and in great shape?

These types of questions are just examples, and you have probably already begun to think of similar questions that apply to your own lifestyle. Don’t push those questions away as irrelevant while you instead go looking for the next “miracle weight loss cure”.

Your ability to lose weight in the New Year is all in your head. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a straight-up liar; I don’t care how many credentials they have behind their name, or how many testimonials they have on their website.

Related Content:

• Mental Meltdown: Weight Loss begins in the Mind!
• Top 5 New Year’s Resolution Weight Loss Programs
• 6 Tips on How to Use the Internet to Lose Weight
• How to Save Money on Exercise Equipment

The purpose is to revisit recent popular posts from right here on this site, as well as to give readers a chance to see the material that I have written across the blogosphere at other websites. Enjoy!

• Learn How to Exercise with The Workout Pass Network
• Exercise of the Day – 8-Count Bodybuilders
• How to Increase your Cardiovascular Endurance with Cross Training

• Employees Losing Money because they are Unhealthy!

• 5 Personal Growth Lessons Learned while House Sitting
• 8 Tips on How to Get Out of Bed even When You Don’t Want To

Have a blog that you would like me to write for? Shoot me an email and we'll see if my skills match up with your audience!

The purpose is to revisit recent popular posts from right here on this site, as well as to give readers a chance to see the material that I have written across the blogosphere at other websites. Enjoy!

• 7 Simple Tips on How to Workout at Home
• Exercise of the Day – Crunches on an Exercise Ball
• 5 Guaranteed tips on How to Lose Weight for a Class Reunion

• Soliciting Sex Lands 3 Men in Chicken Suits

• Nice work, Einstein. Think you can do it again?
• 10 Things you Can’t do with the Law of Attraction

Have a blog that you would like me to write for? Shoot me an email and we'll see if my skills match up with your audience!

The purpose is to revisit recent popular posts from right here on this blog, as well as to give readers a chance to see the material that I have written across the blogosphere at other websites. Enjoy!

• Break down the Carbohydrate Energy Barrier for Maximum Fat Loss!
• How to do Effective Abdominal Exercises

• Lauren Jones: From Bikini Model to Newscaster on Reality Show

• Self Improvement and Motivation – Are You Angry Enough?
• 5 Free Personal Development Ideas for Keeping your Mental Pool Clean!

Have a blog that you would like me to write for? Shoot me an email and we'll see if my skills match up with your audience!